From the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme to Eat Out to Help Out, small businesses in the UK have received a significant amount of Government support during the Coronavirus pandemic. Another important area of support has come from consumers themselves, many of whom have taken it upon themselves to seek out local small businesses instead of global entities likely to survive anyway.
Between 2000 and 2019, the London School of Economics and Political Science has seen 18 female graduates found a tech company after studying at the university. That’s more than any other UK university.
BusinessFibre has analysed the top 10 companies across 15 different industries in the Fortune 500 to find which are leading the way in gender equality. In addition, the data highlights what industries pay their CEOs the most and how salaries compare between men and women.
Research has shown that UK small and medium businesses are owed as much as £50bn in late payments at any one time, with the situation only likely to get worse in the current climate. In response to this late payment epidemic, today sees the launch of itsettled, an automated, proven and legally compliant process for SME’s to chase their outstanding invoices.
Schneider Electric and Sustainable Ventures have named the finalists of their Net Zero Home Programme. The joint venture aims to find the most innovative net zero home solutions to help accelerate the net zero home market.
Israeli startup Rise.ai, which offers AI-driven customer re-engagement solutions, has been selected by Google to help businesses offer digital gift cards through their public listing on Google My Business (GMB). The agreement with Google is Rise.ai’s strategy to enable small and medium businesses to survive and even thrive during the COVID-19 crisis and beyond.
So I was listening to a podcast this morning – I listened to loads of podcasts so that’s not unusual – but there was something about this podcast and the messaging within the podcast that rang a moderate alarm bell. The conversation was one of those that I estimate actually holds a lot of people back.
RESOLV, a Saas platform that aims to provide seamless and remote access to Online Dispute Resolution services to commercial lawyers and mediators recently caught up with Startups Magazine and told us a bit about their journey so far…
Growing up in a small seaside town, one of my earliest memories is sitting on the sea wall with my dad, eagerly tucking into a pot of cockles, all the while watching the comings, goings, and general hubbub of the fishing boats coming in and out of the harbour.
Ukrainian company Jooble creates an IT product that defeated Western companies with investments worth millions in the competition. At the same time, the company has already created more than 400 jobs and continues to expand its staff to help people around the globe find jobs more effectively.
Sterling Networks was founded in 2014 facilitating networking events for businesses across the Midlands, Oxfordshire, Wiltshire and the South West. Over 300 members attend its fortnightly breakfast and lunchtime meetings, and the company has also undertaken the very important role of providing emotional support to business owners at a very challenging time. Startups Magazine caught up with founders Neil and Tracey Davis to find out more.
We’ve all seen it, that moment on a gameshow where the contestant is essentially asked ‘double or nothing’. They’re nervous or excited (although, this is often the same thing), and they’re wondering, ‘I can either take the £3’500 I’ve earned or gamble and go home with the jackpot.’
As lockdown eases, both business and employees are changing their thoughts about the best place to work – for businesses to achieve a cut in costs and favourable flexible agreements. For employees, it gives a vital away from home space.
In many ways, startup leaders are the envy of the business world. They are able to create an appealing workplace culture that works employees across different generations, and can attract the best talent. Problems are often solved through creative thinking while there’s typically a flat hierarchy and open communication channels.
As businesses worldwide begin coming out of lockdown into uncharted territory, adapting and surviving the economic and social impacts of COVID-19 is imperative as consumer behaviour, namely spending habits, continue to rapidly change. Alongside a 200% rise in ‘first-time’ online purchases in April, Econsultancy recently reported a 33% increase in ‘online banking or use of mobile apps and payment methods’.
As the government’s furlough scheme comes to an end, many businesses are looking at their staff returning to work in the forthcoming months. This is at a time when anxiety remains high about a second wave of infection and we’re seeing reports of rising infection rates across the country and globe.
Four Somerset District Councils have joined forces to fund and launch a new scheme to give startups and early stage businesses the best chance of success. Called Somerset Catalyst, it is part of a wider business support programme that is rolling out across the county. Applications for the programme commencing in September 2020 are now invited.
Two thirds (64%) of UK small business believe that the pandemic has increased support and awareness of their sector, according to new research from Small Business Britain and BT Skills For Tomorrow.
Can personal data from the EU being transferred on the basis of Privacy Shield to the US, guarantee an adequate level of data protection as per the GDPR? Head of Marketing for SmartSurvey, Neil Stone, offers some thoughts and guidance around this issue, while looking at the potential impact of the Privacy Shield’s invalidation for the technology sector and prospective customers.
It was recently reported by manufacturer lobby group, Make UL and Santander UK that the effects from COVID-19 could cost the sector a potential £35.7bn in Gross Added Value this year alone, as output has fallen to an all-time low-leading to implications that the UK’s manufacturing growth will suffer from these effects until 2022.
